Rondo did more than anyone else to help the Boston Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, the 6-foot-1, 178-pound speedster is giving the Orlando Magic nightmares, too.

Rondo shredded the Magic defense as the Celtics won Game 2 Tuesday night 95-92.

He penetrated into the paint with relative ease and scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He also dished out eight assists and corralled five rebounds. All the while, he played outstanding defense.

"He just seems to be unquestionably when they're on the floor the leader," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "And I don't mean the leader that's in guys' face. But he's controlling things on the offensive end of the floor. You see him out there, and he's positioning everybody. He's getting everybody set and he's making a lot of the plays that create opportunities for the other guys.

"I just think it's a confidence thing — that he's continued to get better and better and better. He's an all-star now. He's an extremely confident guy, who's obviously been in a lot of big games for a young guy."

Indeed, when Rondo was a second-year player, he started every game for Boston during the 2008 postseason and helped the Celtics capture their 17th NBA title.

In his four NBA regular seasons, Rondo has never shot better than 31.3 percent from 3-point range. He's also never shot better than 64.7 percent from the free-throw line.

But in 13 games this postseason, he's shooting 40.0 percent from beyond the arc and 72.1 percent on his foul shots.

"Every day after practice I'm getting extra shots off," Rondo said after Game 2. "I'm just continuing to try to work hard, growing as a leader. I'm maturing each year. Doc [Rivers] has been on me very hard these last few years. He has a lot to do with my development, as well."

That development has carried over to the defensive end of the floor, too. In May, Rondo was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career.

Those skills paid off Tuesday night, as he held Jameer Nelson — the Magic's top scorer this postseason — to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.

"He's quick," Nelson said. "He's smart, too. People, I think, underestimate how smart he is as a player. He plays to his strengths. I know he can see a play happening before it happens."

Nelson wants to keep Rondo out of the paint as much as possible, but that will be a difficult chore because of Rondo's speed and quickness.

The Miami Heat tried to slow Rondo in the first round. They failed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers tried in the second round. They failed, too. Rondo's 29-point, 18-rebound and 13-assist performance in Game 4 of that series ranks as one of the top performances in the Celtics' storied playoff history because of what was at stake. Boston entered the game trailing that series 2-1, and Rondo willed them into a 2-2 tie.

"I think he feels in control of everything, and he's much more aggressive offensively," Van Gundy said. "He's not the guy who now is just looking to pass. He will take advantage of his scoring opportunities, and I think that's made him a lot more dangerous."

Soon, it just might make him more well-known than Allen, Garnett, Pierce or Wallace.

What's hot

● Washington Wizards: One of the league's most snakebit franchises finally received some good luck. The Wizards won the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night, and they can use the first overall pick in June's draft to choose either Kentucky's John Wall or Ohio State's Evan Turner.

● Paul Pierce: Old by NBA standards? Yes. Done by NBA standards? Not even close. The 32-year-old Celtics captain has bedeviled the Magic so far in the Eastern Conference finals. In two games, Pierce has averaged 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

What's not

● Joe DeRosa: The veteran NBA referee has been suspended without pay for one game for tossing a basketball at a heckler at halftime of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

● Amar'e Stoudemire: The Phoenix Suns star said that Lamar Odom's 19-point, 19-rebound performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals was lucky. Well, Odom followed-up with a 17-point, 11-rebound performance in Game 2. Was that lucky, too? Stoudemire is averaging 20.5 points per game in the series, but only averaging 4.5 rebounds per game.

Quotes of the week

● "Anybody got a BROOM?" — A message on Pierce's Twitter account after Boston's Game 2 win over Orlando. Pierce has said he didn't write the message, and, indeed, he was giving a press conference when the message was posted